Academies budget forecast return 2015 to Guide to completing the online form for all academies

Transcription

1 Academies budget forecast return 2015 to 2016 Guide to completing the online form for all academies June 2015

2 Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 The online return 5 Updating your browser 5 Accessing online returns 5 Navigating around the return 8 3 Budget forecast return - sections 14 Organisation details 14 Revenue income/revenue expenditure 16 Capital income/capital expenditure 16 Revenue totals 17 Capital totals 17 Other items 17 Reserves 17 Validations 18 Your details 19 4 Queries and help 21 2

3 1 Introduction This guide explains how to complete and submit academy trusts budget forecast returns to the Education Funding Agency (EFA), using the new online return. The Department for Education (DfE) is required to provide supplementary estimates to HM Treasury, and these estimates will include academies budget forecasts. The screenshots in this guide are for guidance only. Useful links Workbook and guidance documentation New online budget forecast return Information Exchange Training video and live webinar recording EFA training site EFA enquiries form Who needs to complete the return? All academy trusts are required to complete the 2015 to 2016 budget forecast return. You will need to complete the return on an accruals and prepayments basis. Throughout this document and the associated return, the terms academy trusts and academy include the following entities: sponsored academies academy converters free schools university technical colleges special schools studio schools 3

4 Submission of the return by multi-academy trusts (MATs) MATs preparing aggregated financial statements comprising more than one academy must submit a consolidated return which aggregates the budgets of each of its academies. MATs will be asked to identify the names of the academies that the return is for by selecting those that apply. If a new academy joins the MAT on or after the submission deadline of 31 July 2015 then a separate return for that academy will be required. Using the published workbook and guidance The workbook and guidance that has been published will help you prepare your forecast for the new online return, published on 26 June. You will need to submit your forecast using the online return. The workbook and guidance are there to help you prepare your figures, to make it easier to complete the online form. The workbook is available in an open document spreadsheet format as well as in Microsoft Excel. Deadline for submission All academy trusts open as at 31 March 2015 must submit a completed budget forecast return to EFA by 31 July For those trusts that opened on or after 1 April 2015 the deadline is either 6 weeks after receiving their final funding letter or 31 July 2015, whichever is the later. 4

5 2 The online return The old spreadsheet-based form has been replaced with a new online return that will make it easier to submit the information. The new return is available via the Department for Education s (DfE) Secure Access which requires you to login with a username and password. Updating your browser You should upgrade your web browser (the software you use to access the internet) if it s out of date. Using an outdated browser may mean that the return does not display correctly. Please check with your local IT support at your academy trust before updating your browser. Upgrading to a newer browser will mean: your computer will be more secure it will be faster to browse the internet you ll see more features on many websites You can find more information on upgrading your browser on gov.uk. Accessing online returns The return is accessed either directly from gov.uk or via Information Exchange. All academy trusts should have a Secure Access account, and you will need to login using your username and password Please make sure you have this guide to hand when you are completing the online return. 5

6 Create new account Go to If you don t have an account, then select Sign up now, enter your address and a password (and confirm it): Select Create account, and follow the instructions on screen for creating an account. 6

7 Login to existing account Go to Enter your address and password and Login Information Exchange If you already use the EFA s digital portal Information Exchange, then you can also access the budget forecast return under the digital forms section of Information Exchange. You will still need a Secure Access login. 7

8 Navigating around the return You can use the tab key on your keyboard to move from cell to cell just as you would on a spreadsheet. If there are large areas that you do not need to complete, then just move your cursor to the next cell you want to complete. You can also move from section to section by selecting the appropriate tab at the top of the screen. The blue underline in the header of each page shows the section you are currently completing. The return is prepopulated with zeroes (0), so you only need to complete the sections that are applicable to your academy trust. Every cell must have a number in it, even if it is the default zero (0). If you delete a zero in a cell and leave it blank, an error message will be generated. 8

9 You can use the tab button on the keyboard to move from section to section. You can move from section to section or record to record within each section. Select Edit at the start of each section, and you will go to the first record of the section. You can also go to individual lines by selecting Edit. If you enter the figures in the individual record and then select Save, it will take you back to the main section; if you enter figures and then select Next Record, it takes you to the next line to be completed. Selecting Previous Record takes you back to the previous record in the section. Screen refresh When information is uploading to the system, the screen will go grey and there can be a 10 second or so delay. This is normal because of the amount of information being processed. Please wait for the next screen or information to load: you will receive an error message if there is a problem. 9

10 Auto-calculate When you enter figures in the first line of any section, if you then save and return to the main screen, the figures will not initially auto-calculate in the totals at the end of the section. However, when you have entered more than one line of figures, or moved to another section and then back to the original, you will see the auto-calculation. Final figures and information on the printable.pdf document will be correct. Saving the return You can Save the return at any stage, and will see a notification that confirms this. You can either select Continue to complete the return, or exit from the system. After exiting, you will have to login again. The information you have entered will be saved and you can continue completing the return. Entering information Throughout the return all monetary balances should be entered in round 000s, not pounds and pence. For example, you should input an amount of 21, as 21 and 10, as 11. At the end of each record line, you can insert any relevant Comments. Note that the 400 characters limit shown includes spaces. You will see a countdown of the characters available to you as you enter comments. You have the option to enter comments against lines if you wish to supply supplementary or clarifying information. 10

11 The numbers in brackets on each line (below is an example in the revenue income section) refer to the numbering of the lines in the workbook that you will have used to gather the information before filling in the return. The red asterisk next to the column headers denotes that these are mandatory fields that must be completed. Remember the fields are all filled in with zeroes (0) anyway. Error messages If you enter an incorrect figure (one with decimal points, for example), you will see an error message in the main section and in the detail when you select the Edit button. 11

12 Error messages can relate to numbers or characters. Numbers should be entered as whole numbers. Do not use semi-colons (;) colons (:) single or double inverted commas ( ) characters in the comment box. Entering these punctuation marks will also generate an error message. 12

13 Printing the return In the Your details section, there is the option to print an Adobe.pdf version of the return. This contains full details of the figures you have entered, comments you have made, and responses to validation queries. Submitting the return When you have completed the return and the declaration at the end, select Submit and the return will be submitted. The person completing the return and the accounting officer (if different from the submitter), will receive a confirmation . A copy of the return will be attached to the . You will not be able to edit your return once you have submitted it, so please ensure you have completed it fully before you select Submit. 13

14 3 Budget forecast return - sections There are 11 sections in the return. Organisation details Once you are logged in to Secure Access you will need to enter the company number for your trust. 14

15 The first section of the return is where you complete your organisation details, confirm which academies you want to complete the return for, and answer some qualifying questions that will affect which parts of the rest of the form you see. Enter the company number for your trust, and you will then see a list of the academies in your trust, you should select the name of the academies you want to include in the return by clicking on the button to the left of the academy name. If you are unsure of your company number, please refer to the Companies House website. If the name of an academy that is part of your MAT is missing from the list, then please contact us. (See Queries and Help). Multi-academy trusts (MATs) will also see an extra section on the form when they enter the company number the Reserves section. 15

16 You will then be asked a number of qualifying finance questions. The answers you give to these questions will determine what questions you see in the full return, for example, if you have no overdrafts, you will not be presented with questions about overdrafts. Revenue income/revenue expenditure The revenue sections cover most of the grants and incomes that the academy has received or generated which is not for the purpose of capital programmes. In addition, the sections cover all expenditure within the academy excluding depreciation and Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) movements. Capital income/capital expenditure The Capital sections are for funding that is received under capital grants or funding received for the express purpose of a capital programme. This section also shows the expenditure spent on land and buildings (L&B), intangibles and other fixed assets. 16

17 Revenue totals The net revenue income (expenditure) for the period will automatically calculate from the revenue sections. You will need to input your balance B/Fwd balance from the previous period, less any transfers to capital. This will then automatically calculate the balance to carry forward to the next period. Capital totals The net capital income (expenditure) for the period will automatically calculate from the capital sections. You will need to input your balance B/Fwd from the previous period. This will then automatically calculate the balance to carry forward to the next period. Other items This section covers a number of items that would normally appear on the balance sheet such as cash, depreciation, provisions, investments and loans. Reserves This section covers revenue reserves and will only be visible to multi-academy trusts (MATs). You will need to separately report reserves information for each academy included in the return. Single academy trusts (SATs) will not see this section. 17

18 Validations If information is entered into a cell that exceeds pre-set criteria, e.g. the amount of cash that is held per academy, then you will be asked to confirm that the information entered is correct in this validations section. The validation may require a comment or confirmation of a yes or no answer. For multi-academy trusts (MATs), the validation tests in the return will take into consideration the number of academies in the MAT. For example, if a validation threshold of 1,000 is set per academy, and you are submitting a return for a MAT with 4 academies, an entry below 4,000 will not require a response to a validation test You will not be able to go to the Your details section of the form without having completed the validation section (if any validations have failed). 18

19 Your details This is the final section of the return where you need to fill in the details of the person completing the return, and if this is not the accounting officer, you will also be asked to provide details of the accounting officer. Both the person completing the return and the accounting officer (if different) will receive an when the return is submitted. The accounting officer needs to verify that the information is supported by appropriate working papers and is accurate and complete. 19

20 You can see a printable version of the return as a.pdf including comments you have made, and responses to validation queries. 20

21 4 Queries and help More information Throughout the return, where more information is available; if you select the question mark icon, you will find a more detailed explanation Error messages Error messages can relate to numbers or characters. Numbers should be entered as whole numbers. Do not use semi-colons (;) colons (:) single or double inverted commas ( ) characters in the comment box. Entering these punctuation marks will also generate an error message. 21

22 Sending feedback/report an issue If you are experiencing any problems completing the budget forecast return or have any feedback you would like to share with us, then please click on the orange BETA button at the top of the form, and you can leave feedback or report an issue. 22

23 Crown copyright 2015 This publication (not including logos) is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. To view this licence: visit write to Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London, TW9 4DU About this publication: enquiries download Follow us on Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/educationgovuk 23